Florida - Massive Pesticide Overkill, 40 Inspectors For 43,000 Farms

[hatrack]

Florida pesticide monitoring draws fire

Last year, Florida agricultural inspectors levied just $38,590 in fines, while California inspectors collected $5.5 million.

"In California, the country's top agricultural producer, farmers use 51 pounds of pesticides to grow an acre of tomatoes, according to federal figures. Florida farmers employ 196 pounds. An acre of California oranges requires 18 pounds of those active chemical ingredients. Florida oranges need 71 pounds an acre.

Some of the chemicals are harmless, but others are "highly toxic," capable of causing illness in humans, especially if they are not used properly, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. A number have been shown to cause birth defects in lab animals, and the long-term effects of chronic pesticide exposure are not known. But Florida employs only 40 to 45 pesticide exposure inspectors for all its 43,000 farms, livestock operations and 200 million square feet of nursery foliage, a small fraction of the California pesticide investigation force.

Critics say Florida's monitoring and inspection program is drastically understaffed, underfunded and undermined by political pressures that have made it dangerously ineffective. "It's a sad situation," says Linda Grisham of Tampa, a former member of the state's now-defunct Pesticide Exposure Surveillance Program and an employment and training director for agricultural workers. "It's dangerous not only for farm workers but for the public in general. The public doesn't have a clue."

State officials did not respond to requests for comment for this article. In the past, Dale Dubberly, chief of the state's pesticide enforcement office, has defended the work of his inspectors. But an investigation by The Palm Beach Post shows that problems with the system exist from the farm field to the seats of government: failure to document exposures, failure to investigate properly those that are discovered, failure to hold growers responsible for violating federal pesticide laws, failure of the medical community to notify the state of possible pesticide cases, failure of state legislators to fund adequate protection and failure of the federal government to properly monitor the state's performance."

EDIT

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2005/04/24/m1a_pesticides_0424.html

[aquart]

1. Another reason to avoid Florida products.

[lyonn]

2. Good idea

More proof Power corrupts.

[jpak]

3. And another reason to buy organic foods

Produce, cheese, eggs, tortillas and soy products at my organic coop are much less expensive than at the local Albertsons and better quality too.